The future of geriatric care lives at Sinai Health

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Thanks to Peter and Shelagh Godsoe’s generosity, the future of geriatric care lives at Sinai Health. With a new gift of $15 million, these community leaders are ensuring that Sinai Health’s capacity to provide care and leadership in the field of geriatrics will be unparalleled in Canada.

This gift aligns with the ambitious goals Sinai Health’s geriatric care practitioners have. From changing the way emergency departments treat older adults to increasing opportunities for training, innovation and expanding capacity, this gift will ensure that older Canadians have the specialized and compassionate care they deserve.

The Godsoes’ contributions to the geriatric care program at Sinai Health, cannot be overstated. Their initial contribution saw the creation of Sinai Health’s first hospital-based chair in geriatrics and enabled the program to expand exponentially during the first 10 years of existence. This new gift of $15 million celebrates that incredible first decade of achievement and anchors the next decade of progress for geriatric care at Sinai Health - and beyond.

“We have always believed that Sinai Health is poised to be an international leader in geriatrics. Seeing the astonishing progress the program has made over its first decade, coupled with the urgent need behind this type of care, we are thrilled to make this new gift. All Canadians - not just older adults - stand to benefit from the research and care that Sinai Health’s geriatricians provide. We are excited to be part of making it possible to propel this type of care for the next decade,” stated Peter and Shelagh Godsoe.

This gift will also support three Sinai 100 Chairs. These are new, prestigious Chair positions named for Sinai Health trailblazers, two of which - Dr. Don Melady and Dr. Barry J Goldlist - are exclusively focused on care for older adults. The other Chair the gift funds is named for Dr. Howard Ovens, a leader in Emergency Medicine and currently Sinai Health’s Chief Medical Strategy Officer. The gift will also see the creation of the Peter & Shelagh Godsoe Geriatric Medicine Fund, the Peter & Shelagh Godsoe International Geriatrics Fellowship Program, and will support the redevelopment of an Ambulatory Care Centre, built to support older adults and their caregivers.

“Support from donors like Peter and Shelagh Godsoe is essential to the success of the pioneering work we do in geriatric care here at Sinai Health,” says Dr. Don Melady, Geriatric Lead, Schwartz-Reisman Emergency Centre at Sinai Health, “I practice Geriatric Emergency Medicine which is a new field of practice and specialty. When building up a new field of medical practice, philanthropy is integral. We need supporters, people who believe in our vision and see the value in what we’re building. Peter and Shelagh are helping to make our vision into reality.”

“Over the last decade, Peter and Shelagh have been watching as our geriatrics program grew from a regional, to national, and now international leader, and have been able to realize how their support helped to achieve this. With this new gift, they’re celebrating an incredible first decade of achievement, but also demonstrating their belief in our capacity to show even greater leadership in the field of geriatrics, on an international basis. Thanks to Peter and Shelagh, we can realize my vision of making Canada the best place to grow up, and grow old,” says Dr. Samir Sinha, the Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health and UHN, and the Peter and Shelagh Godsoe Chair in Geriatrics at Sinai Health.

Because of Peter and Shelagh Godsoe, Sinai Health can now advance its role as a global leader in the provision of geriatric care. We are deeply grateful for their vision and generosity that will have a tremendous impact on how Sinai Health and Canada cares for older adults.